Updates from the Global Forum on Agricultural Research

The 21st century is a century of fast growth and dependence on machines. From the early morning to bed time we are totally dependent on machines. In such a fast life, we often forget about one of the very essentials of our life – food. Yes, food.

Food is not produced by machines but by plants and animals. If we don’t bother about what we eat, certainly we are not bothered about its composition. We gained huge momentum in the production of food through the Green Revolution, White Revolution, Pink Revolution, Yellow Revolution… but at the same time we incorporated many such chemicals and drugs in our food chain which have very deleterious effects on our health. Day by day, the use of such chemicals is increasing both in crop production and livestock production.

Pesticides and insecticides in crop production and antibiotics and hormones in livestock production, though they have made us world leaders in food and milk production and given food and nutritional security to our nation, have endowed our bodies with many ailments due to bio-accumulation of those chemicals. The plant and animal produce treated with such chemicals serves as a slow poison for humans and are slowly killing our health and the health of future generations. The result is that, all around the world, major producers are reverting back to chemical-free, organic farming.

The livestock sector in India plays a very crucial role, from the micro-economy of a family to the macro-economy of the nation. Rural life in India depends upon livestock both for economic and food security. Livestock raised in villages is transported to urban areas. In this process, not only is the livestock transported, but also the antibiotic and other chemical residues.

The consistent and widespread use of antibiotics in the livestock sector has resulted in the development of antibiotic resistance in human populations. The degree of antibiotic use is so extensive that mostly the resistance is aggravated by bio-accumulation of the same antibiotic in the human body, which results in a series of toxic symptoms and ultimately becomes fatal.

This means that we should stop the usage of antibiotics. But what do we do when an animal falls sick? The simple answer is to revert back to basics, i.e. shift farming from antibiotics to locally-available natural herbs. The herbs as such will cure the disease condition and also their residues will not be present in the livestock produce.

Why me?

My name is Pranav Kumar (38 years of age) and I am presently working as Assistant Professor in the Division of Veterinary & Animal Husbandry Extension at the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, R.S. Pura, SKUAST- Jammu (J&K) since May 2010. I have over 10 years of work experience. Before taking the University assignment of teaching, research and extension, I was associated with an NGO (PRADAN) and milk production company (NGC Mother Dairy, now Sahaj), working very closely with farming communities.

In 2011, I worked on a project called “Documentation, Validation & Extension of Suitable Package of Practices (POPs) of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITKs) in Treatment of Various Ailments of Livestock in Jammu Division of J&K State.”

From time immemorial, Indian peoples have been using herbs for the treatment of various diseases. India is a land blessed with many such herbs and their usage in the treatment of disease has been well established, whether in humans or animals. The project I worked on has found that many herbs and plant parts which are locally available can be put to use for treating ailments in livestock, and such treatment regimens assure no residual effect on human populations.

The proposed project, “Back to basics: Indigenous herbs and organic farming” is to raise awareness and encourage farmers to go for organic dairy husbandry practices using medicinal herbs and other indigenous technical knowledge and practices, which are gradually becoming extinct, in the R.S. Pura sector of Jammu and Kashmir State of India, a border area that is known for its aromatic Basmati rice all over the world.

As the principle agricultural production department, Jammu has planned to convert some of the Basmati-cropped area into organic Basmati fields, involving more than 500 farmers who are also traditionally dairy farmers. Thus, the integrated approach of Department of Agriculture and the proposed project will go a long way in the promotion of organic dairying and the farmers will get a remunerative income not only from the organic Basmati but also from organic milk and milk products by utilizing organic crop residues at the fullest level.

By giving them suitable training and capacity building, they can be made to start organic livestock farming, too. As a young agripreneur, I wish to transform livestock farming practices along organic lines!

My work, my way

I have completed two research projects as Co-Principal Investigator in the specified area. I have been with many farmers and come to know about their way of doing things, and observed their passion for envisaging any new way of doing things. I will work on capacity building of the farmers rearing livestock and impart to them suitable know-how through training and workshops. I will train them in identification and usage of locally available herbs for animal diseases and thus avoid the use of antibiotics. This will result in reducing the antibiotic load from the livestock and thus from the food chain, along with stabilizing the rural economy.

Rural life: an inspiration

Indians live in villages. This statement has its meaning in its roots. The rural life and the rural people had made me to work on this project. I had spent many years of my life in villages along with farmers and come to know that if you want to revolutionize India, just revolutionize Indian villages. This is exactly what I want to do by taking on this project. My endeavor is to promote the use of locally available herbs, to demote the use of antibiotics, to develop livestock farming practices from inorganic to organic and to make rural people and rural life economically and socially stable.

Work flow

In the timeframe of a year, I will work on creating small start-ups of organic farms in the area by survey and selection of about 150 interested entrepreneurial farmers having at least 5 dairy animals, ready to transform their conventional animal husbandry practices into organic dairy husbandry. Capacity building will occur through training and workshops leading to creation of awareness regarding Standard Operating Procedures for organic dairy farming and benefits arising out of entrepreneurial organic dairy husbandry. Then, I will work on collaboration among the farmers sharing their common interest, leading to the formation of Self Help Groups.

Providing technical training for the use of indigenous herbs and subsequently undertaking the practices of organic farming will be the main area of interest. After fulfilling all the prerequisites, a model organic practicing village will be formed. This model village will act as a technology dissemination centre and further extension will be carried out from the same village. Moreover, I will focus on creating a cooperative of organic farmers that will encourage other farmers to undertake the same model of practices and business.

Expenditures

I need $500 USD for initial baseline surveys and selection of interested entrepreneurial farmers, including travelling charges.
$2500 USD for capacity building through trainings and workshops.
$1200 USD for preparation and printing of training manuals and other extension materials as well as miscellaneous items.
$800 USD for formation of Self Help Groups and cooperatives.

Concluding remarks

The success of this project rests on the fact that the R.S. Pura area has a good number of prosperous livestock farmers using the breeding line of the world famous Nili-Ravi buffalo. These farmers are already convinced to undertake organic Basmati cultivation, so the ability of the farmers to adopt a new set of practices is high, especially considering the growing market and good profit margin of organic milk and milk products. My experience and my skills will also add to the success of the project.

Blogpost and picture submitted by Pranav Kumar (Jammar, India) – vet_pranav[at]rediffmail.comThe content, structure and grammar is at the discretion of the author only.

I support the research endeavor of Pranav which may go a long way to implement the concept of organic farming /live stock management with special reference to the state of Jammu & Kashmir and also request esteemed colleagues to cherish and forward his work positively. Regards, Mritunjay Kumar

It reminds me of recommendations of an agricultural scientist who vehemently opposed the idea of indiscriminate use of various chemical pesticides/weedicides/herbicides…..etc and concluded his lecture by saying that “we cannot defeat nature”.
good wishes for your sincere efforts.

Thanks Dr Dinesh for reminding the recommendations of recently held International conference on Ecology and Natural Resource Management where large number of delegates stress on organic farming for sustainable development as the need of present time and their only slogan that echoed throughout the conference period was ” We cannot defeat the nature”

Hi, Ravi … thanks for commenting on my blog and proposal….your idea well taken ….. I have already done some indexation of ITKs ..not all.. in my earlier research project. There are still numerous indigenous technical knowledge and practices which have to be documented …. otherwise … they will be lost for forever. I will take care of your suggestions…

Hello Dear Ashok Dangi…. thanks for reading and commenting about the blog and proposal. yes I agree with your observations regarding conservation of traditional practices which are being neglected and are at the verge of being lost. These ITKs and practices are very important for organic movement to be carried out on sustainable basis.

This project is very important for our country where large number of plants with medicinal properties are present
although most of them have not been explored till date. Even though India is largest milk producer in the world but we are not in postion to produce the quality milk and export it.So ,this project certainly will be a boost for socioeconomic condition of our farmer.

Dr Mritunjaya .. you have pointed out very correctly that though India is number one milk producer in the world but when we talk of quality milk i.,e milk without antibiotic and other chemical residue…. we are no where… surely this project will help in reducing the antibiotic residue level in the milk to some extent by utilizing the natural herbs in treatment of livestock ailments and will also improve the socio- economic condition of dairy farmers by using low cost and locally availble remedies for livestock problems.

Most important because of the residual antibiotics ultimately it is accumulated in the top tier of the food chain, i.e., human and we are facing the consequences by developing resistance to antibiotics or responding to higher generations of antibiotics and most important by giving antibiotics to animals and inorganic fertilizers to farm, altering the gut microbiota and inviting large number of physiological problems. So reversing towards the ancient methods of farming will help both…

Farmers are ready to adopt viable organic farming practise. Consumer is ready to purchase pesticide, insecticide, weedicides, etc free vegetables and cereals at reasonable cost weather costlier than crops and vegetables grown with use of these pesticides.
Just motivate small scale farmers and explore your study at large level.

Thanks Ashok for the suggestions regarding involving a large number of farmers under the project arena. Definitely, the project’s primary motive is to bring a maximum number of dairy farmers under organic dairying ambit. But to start with, I wish to create a model village of organic dairy farmers which can act as precursor as well as role model for other villages so that conversion from conventional to organic becomes a sustainable process in the long run

we need development, if development is not sustainable then it can not be called as the development. Therefore. whole world is looking towards organic farming for judicial utilization of natural resources.
All the best sir

Nice Dr Pranav. 21 st century we r going in the back to village olden days era of organic farming in most of the state without use of pesticide n antibiotics. Already etheno_veterinary practices r going in tribal n rural areas. It can be propogate all over India. Best of luck n if need any help from me i m always ready.

thanks, Ramteke sir… you are right sir that ethno -veterinary practices are common in tribal areas but when we look at the production of milk and other food items.. major production is coming from plain areas where lots of antibiotic, pesticides and other chemical fertilizers are being used on rampant basis… so there is need to move from conventional to organic in plain areas too…. though its not an easy task

Dear Pranav Kumar,
Just want to express my doubt about the status of organic agriculture farming in your study area which is a pre-request for you to select the topic of organic dairy farming. It may be possible in the hilly region because the farmers may be continuing the traditional practices with less use of chemicals for crop cultivation.

Dear Natchimuthu sir… thanks for your critical comment and doubt…. No doubt, organic farming is more suited to hilly areas which are still unaffected by green and white revolution …. but when we see the production statistics , the major production (milk, meat, other food items) are coming from plain areas , where lot of antibiotics, pesticides have contaminated the animal and soil … leading to production of food items full of chemical residues.

Here….. also in my study area… the situation is same…. but the basmati grower farmers of this belt with the active support of Agriculture Productin Department , Jammu have come together and are in the process of coversion of their paddy field to produce organic basmati ….. seeing the growing market and premium price for organic products world wide.

Taking clue from this approach .. I have planned a project proposal for organic dairy farming, utilizing the indigenous herbs in treatment of livestock ailments and capacity building of dairy farmers through numerous trainings and worksghops to motivate and make them aware about organic dairy husbandry standards, protocols, certification agencies, export agencies and other dairy mamagemental aspects of feeding, breeding and health care which are very- very important for carrying organic production.

Good proposal Dr Pranav, that has potential to bring out the outcomes that may have wide applications to solve the present day problems, we all are confronted with the so called hapharzadous modernisation.
Wish you good luck for your endevours…

The proposed project is interesting and need of the hour. There should be no second thought to reduce and eliminate antibiotics from animal agriculture. The author has proposed an alternative to the antibiotics through locally available herbs and education of the farmers regarding this aspect. However, I see a lacuna in the sustainability of the project in the long term. For undertaking organic agriculture the main problem I perceived by interaction with farmers is availability of quality inputs; in case of agriculture the availability of farm yard manure, specifically cattle dung for use in the scenario of declining livestock number. Likewise using locally available herbs is not sustainable unless the farmers themselves grow the required herbs for their own use or for selling it to the required farmers. Thus the author has to incorporate a component of raising the herbs in the farmers field itself or in the local community/other farmer who can then sell the produce. For this specific help from the agricultural department should be elicited.

Well written, but the general premise that herbal medicines are safe to use is unfounded. There haven’t been (m)any neither safety evaluations nor efficacy studies done to make this claim. It might be good to address these issues.

This seems to be an entirely whole new concept. The planet is well versed with the use of Ayurveda and its remedies, but the use of indigenous herbs which are locally available are restricted in its use and location and only a handful of persons know their use. Integrating the use of these herbs along with organic farming will bring a revolutionary change in the said farming as according to the guidelines of organic farming; we cannot use antibiotics and other chemicals which makes herbs as a viable option for cure of certain ailments. Also establishing a model organic farming practising village will enhance the standard of living of the rural people along with generation pf employment and source of income. May you be successful in this endeavor of yours.

yes sir… your concerns are genuine one as validation of the efficacy of herbs have not been done on large basis…. but my experience says … it works well but takes somewhat longer time for the cure and here patience of livestock owner and faith of owner as well as the traditional healer in herbal drugs is important

Thanks, Mr. Amandeep Singh for appreciating the project proposal by emphasizing the role of indigenous herbs in the sustainable development of this planet by going back to basics of organic farming but utilizing all the modern mechanization techniques and technology of farming

very great aproch sir example research say that antibiotics present in garlic is stronger than we use in market so it indicate that effort made will definetly benefit the farmer bith in cost and efectiveness

Thanks Dr Pankaj for appreciating the approach and mentioning the use of garlic as a substitute for antibiotic is highly recommended among the farming communities….. reduces the cost of production also.

I liked the project basic concept and there is need for production of organic food from animal origin but the path is difficult. In animal husbandry achievement of 70 % organic at start and slowly going to say 80% organic and so on can be targeted. Large scale farming has become dependent on antibiotic, feed additive. One of the good approach is to go for integrated farming taking account of animal and agricultural both using one system to sustain other in a natural way. I congratulate you for thinking towards production of safe food for consumer. Best wishes.

Thanks, Dr Sameer for analysing well the need for organic farming and its integrated approach both in agriculture and livestock. no doubt path is difficult but as you have suggested it can be targetted in phased manner … so it can be achieved. My motto is to aware the farmers about organic farming, its standard operating process, organic certification as well as marketing of organic products at a remunerative price …making the farming business more lucrative and attractive

Such young agripreneurs can gear-up organic farming which is essentially required today. They need to be supported so as to maintain the consistency in their initial torque enabling them to gain a proper momentum to achieve their objective.

Switching to organic farming is need of the hour..to save our environmnt,,our soil ,,our farmers,, our consumers frm the continiously increasing threats frm some of the inputs,,fertilizers,,pesticides etc used in conventional farming.
Itz a great idea sir…Great service to the nature by saving its natural varieties.

Your idea of using use the locally available herbs,to demote the use of antibiotics, to develop livestock farming practices from inorganic to organic and to make rural people and rural life economically and socially stable is a sophisticated combination of old wisdom and modern ecological innovations that help harness the benefits of mother nature.

This is so great and inspiring…
I think others could benefit from learning about it.
All the best !

Indeed, organic practices are crucial for human and animal health. I really like the idea to involve farmers and communicate the best practices of organic farming with them. I appreciate Dr. Kumar’s effort in this area. Good Luck!

Sir it’s a great initiative as in today’s world everybody wants to get rid of chemicals and by looking back towards the traditional methods and herbs we can actually explore our ancient vast knowledge .great job sir. I support your initiative.Best of luck sir👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Hi Dear, Pranav..really Nice concept .as i have gone through your project and it seems u have already fertile ground in the form that, farmers from research area are being motivated for organic Basmati rice cultivation, so its i personally feel that your 50 % work is almost done, as it is very difficult to convince farmer for shifting from their traditional way of agriculture to organic agriculture, so go ahead i am sure your project will be successful. i have faith on your hard work as i have seen you very closely at the time of our post-graduation at IVRI..Best of Luck Dear

I appreciate Dr Pranav Kumar on taking up this project: “Back to basics: Indigenous herbs and organic farming.” Dr Pranav worked with me in New Generation Cooperatives of MDFVPL/NDDB and thus am sure that he would successfully develop the much needed sustainable model and organic dairy coop for many others to learn and implement. I wish him all success.

Thank U Dr. Sabyasachi Roy sir for going through the blog proposal and appreciating the much-needed concept of the sustainable model of organic farming through SHG formation and cooperative linkage and also remembering the old work days and my association with you in New Generation Cooperatives of MDFVPL/NDDB.

Sir I must say its a gr8 effort from your side.. its going to help the rural as well as the urban population…its really a challenging job and may b it will require the help of agriculture department
….at the same time Mr amandeep singh is doing a gr8 job by making people aware of such a nice initiative …….I stand with u…ready for any type of help…best wishes

Indeigenous herbs and organic farming is the re-emerging area now a days and the selected farmers are sifting towards them for the betterment of mankind. It is a very interesting and need based idea. I Wish best of luck to Dr. Pranav

Thank you, Dr. S. A. Khanday…. my friend and colleague for supporting the project proposal and emphasizing the work as re- emerging concept is of paramount importance for the sustainable development and for the betterment of mankind

Farmers are ready to adopt viable organic farming practise. Consumer is ready to purchase pesticide, insecticide, weedicides, etc free vegetables and cereals at reasonable cost weather costlier than crops and vegetables grown with use of these pesticides.
Just motivate small scale farmers and explore your study at large level.

Good idea to implement . Totally agree on the potential of our indigenous traditional knowledge. We need more evidence based approach in support of organic farming especially in livestock sector. Developing part of world need their own approach to deal with problems eg food and nutritional security for the massive population, small livestock owner’s profitability, public health concerns and environment friendly approach. Best wishes Dr Sahab !

Thank You, Dr. Rahul Srivastava, for going through the blog proposal and appreciating the said proposal. I totally agree with your suggestions that we need more evidence-based approach in support of organic farming, especially in the livestock sector.

It is refreshing to know that someone from the deemed university has picked up a project long overdue in India. I have some little experience in working on Ethno-Veterinary Medicines especially for backyard poultry. The project will not only help to address the growing demand for organic dairy products but also strengthen ITK which is dwindling fast in our country which was once upon a time pioneer in this field. I wish the project moves ahead from BLOG to actual implementation and does not SLOG.
Dr. Goutam Roy
MVSc., PhD., PGDAEM
Assistant Director Livestock Statistics / RKVY / MMKVY / ICT Projects
Directorate of Veterinary Services Chhattisgarh Raipur
94250-79243 (dvsostat.cg@nic.in)
(PS : I am an alumni of IVRI 1999 Batch PhD Veterinary Virology)

Respected Sir…. first of all, I thank from my core of heart that you have gone through my blog project proposal and given your comments in a very optimistic way. Sir, definitely i will learn from your experience and i have noted down both your contact number and mail ID. I assure you the proposed project will not remain limited to BLOG page and it will not SLOG also. I am hopeful of getting my project proposal selected for funding with all your blessings as the organic farming is the means for sustainable development.

The present project proposal is need of present date. The project will focus on utilization of hidden natural potential of wide range of herbs and to practice organic agriculture by farmers. The excessive use of chemicals in food processing threatens food safety leads to several health hazards.Due to varied agro-climatic regions in Indian context, there is numerous herbs whose natural potential is still unexplored can be explored. This project also helps in inculcating the practice of organic agriculture. I wish all the very best for the this project proposal.

Thank you, Dr. Arvind Kumar, for appreciating the project proposal as the need to present date. the project aims at the utilization of hidden natural potential of the wide range of herbs and to practice organic agriculture by farmers. your observation regarding the excessive use of pesticides and chemicals threaten the food safety chain and leads to numerous health related problems. the proposed project will help in reducing the antibiotic residue in milk to some extent by utilizing local herbs and medicinal plants in the treatment of livestock ailments.

Good idea doctor.I personally feel that this is the demand of present scenario.Our dependency on drugs/medicines has already been increased many folds and one among the various reasons is unjustified and excessive use of various drugs.At the same time we are consuming insecticides and pesticides treated plant products in our food which causes various short and long term effects on our health.So it is very important to move towards nature to explore various unexplored natural products and package and practices in agriculture and livestock farming.To implement it besides the role of scientific staff the role of farmers is very crucial.One my suggestion is that the farmers must be trained adequately about the merits , demerits and marketing opportunities of organic farming products.Marketing linkage and justified remuneration of their product is very important for successful implementation.
All the best for your work

Thank you, Dr. Dwivedi for providing fact-finding comments and the need for organic farming for sustainable development and use herbs and medicinal plants for treatment of livestock ailments. your suggestion regarding backward and forward linkages of organic product producing will be taken care during the operation of the project.

Dear Pranav
Congrats for having a start to save Traditinal Farming. Definitely this project is going to be a great success. Atleast our future generations can be saved from various dreadful diseasesdue to biomagnification.
Gud luck.👍
Regards

Thanks, Pushpinder Kaur for your comment and opinion that at least our future generations can be saved from various dreadful diseases due to biomagnification of pesticides and other chemical residues by opting for organic dairying and agriculture.

Thanks to Dr S Gurdeep Singh Sodhi, Sumaiyah Khnaday, Ashish, Pradeep Ray, Huma, Aabid Thakur and others for reading and commenting on my blog proposal and making me comfortable by extending your support and co-operation for executing the project. Thanks all once again

Definately nice proposal dr. pranav. Now a days more impetus on use of ayurvedic medicines for treatment of animals and human diseases without side effects. Moreover organic farming promotion in farmers will raise the socioecomic status of farmers and will provides indigenous organic specilities like basmati rice which will fetch more cost to farmers. I wish u all the best.

Thank You, Dr R. K Bhardwaj, for commenting on my blog proposal and putting more impetus on the use of ayurvedic medicines for the treatment of animals and human diseases without side effects is the need of time.

Thank You, Rajiv Ranjan for commenting on my blog proposal and putting your emphasis on village development on the organic way. Its a fantastic suggestion and my project is also in that direction only as the food grain production and the milk, meat and egg production are taking place in rural India only and if Rural India becomes organic…. definitely we will achieve our aim of sustainable development through organic farming

I too agree for organic milk production, your proposal is excellent, Division of Veterinary Parasitology will provide sustainable control methods for parasite control in your project.I believe breeds in particular area have developed with passage of time. naturally. Use of traditional feed and fodders helps in sustainable production with slight scientific interventions. I appreciate your project proposal for north western region of country

Thank You, Dr Rajesh Katoch sir for going through my blog proposal and showing your interest and zeal to cooperate in proposed project work. Definitely, I will take your help as a veteran veterinary parasitologist who is having very deep insight of working with rural masses in sustainable parasitic
control as this project area which is very well known to you is infested with antihelminthic drug resistant parasites for which our indigenous herbs will act as a suitable substitute along with other remedial measures. Use of traditional knowledge along with modern approaches is the key to organic dairying as well as sustainable development

I really appreciate your efforts and congratulate you for this great idea.
Although it wouldn’t be an easy task, but as you have already documented and validated practices involving herbs, I hope the success is an achievable goal.
I believe the mastitis to be one of the very important and prevalent infectious condition in the field and its management (therapeutic as well as preventive) would reap great rewards to the farmers and in turn you.
Wish you good luck for this endeavor.

Thank You, dear Dr Maninder, for appreciating the proposed project. Your observation about mastitis is well noted and it is definitely a cause of concern in the field. Since the allopathic drugs are not so effective as well as very costly and having side effects and residue problems, here the indigenous herbs formulation will be effective and it will help in towards the goal of achieving organic dairying and organic milk production.

Good thought sir and now a days the importance of organic farming is growing so as to curb the unnecessary and excess usage of pesticides which is becoming a slow poison in the body and i wish u all the best in this research sir

Thanks to Syed Taifa, Happy Rissam, Ram Prasad, Harshpal Singh, Arpit Rai and others for reading and commenting on my blog proposal and making me comfortable by extending your support and co-operation for executing the project.

Dear Dr Pranav
I appreciate your efforts and congratulate on this great idea.
Although the proposal wouldn’t an easy task, but as you have already documented and validated the practices involving herbs in veterinary medicine, the success is an achievable goal.
I believe the mastitis to be one of the very important and prevalent infectious condition in the field and its management (therapeutic as well as preventive) would certainly reap benefits to the farmers and in turn to you.
Wish you best wishes for this endeavor.
Maninder

Congratulations Dr. Pranav for the idea of this project. I am sure, by promoting the concepts of organic farming, the farmers and the consumers, both will be benefitted. Chemical pesticides, weedicides and fertilizers along with present day medicaments are posing great threats to healths on the planet and hence people’s concerns towards holistic and safe practices of farming is increasing day by day.
I wish all the very best for the project and extend my full support.

Thank You, Dr. Ganesh Krishna, for going through my project proposal and have shown a keen interest in replying the comment. Yes, your remarks are very apt, by organic movement both producer, as well as consumers, will be benefitted along with our land, soil, water and more important our health, the health of future generation will be secured.

R.S.Pura being blessed with a rich heritage of basmati farming stands promising for best results in organic dairy farming too. With a great concept of eradicating the chemical usage along with a better way of incorporating ‘the nature’ in our farming skills,I think this plan is going to be a great success which is surely going to boost the involvement of more and more farmers, paving way for a green and organic future.
Wish you a great success sir.

Thanks Gurpreet for your comments … Yes, R. S. Pura is blessed with world fame basmati rice and now the basmati growers are going to produce organic basmati rice which will give them a cutting edge in the world market of aromatic basmati rice. So, the dairy farmers who are also basmati grower should not lag behind in producing organic milk just because of lack of awareness about organic milk standards, its certification, management of their animals in terms of feeding, breeding and health care for organic milk production and its marketing and export opportunities at a remunerative price.
Taking all these into consideration, the project has been conceived and submitted for funding

Thanks to Sohani Gupta, Manpreet Singh, Priyanka, SAnjeet Kour, Kanika, Harshpal Singh, Ankila and others for reading and commenting on my blog proposal and making me comfortable by
extending your support and co-operation for executing the project.

Thanks to Sanya , Shivani, Daljeet, Diksha, Samreeti, Jasminder and others for reading and commenting on my blog proposal and making me comfortable by
extending your support and co-operation for executing the project.

It is a very good proposal as per the demand of society and Indian perspective. A huge funding must be sanctioned by the funding agency to convert conventional dairy farming into organic one through rigorous training and motivation modules. Good luck.

The present proposal [“YAP Proposal #165: Indigenous herbs and organic farming] will help in capacity building, training, and awareness on utilization of indigenous herbs and adopting organic farming technology for societal upliftment. Organic farming is now gaining importance in producing quality food produce and minimizing environmental hazards.
The content and details of project execution is well planned therefore progress of work will be easily monitored. Moreover, investigator has professional experience to conduct this study, hence I will strongly recommend the present proposal for grant.

Using self help groups to generate small functional organic dairy units is a brilliant idea that may shift the value addition step from corporates or large farmers to small and marginal farmers. However you may consider to replace the term organic with some other word as organic require multistep and multilevel certification. Good luck.

Thank You, Dr. Ankur Rastogi, for your valuable comment. The concern you raised is a valid one as organic milk can not be produced in a short period of time as it requires multistep and multilevel certification and so many managemental practices and the producer has to follow organic standards.
My project’s main motto is to create awareness about organic dairy standards, its certification process, managemental aspects, marketing opportunities and finally creating an environment congenial for dairy farmers to convert from conventional dairy farming to organic one through numerous training and workshops.

Great work done sir..using natural resources help to conserve them and protect against the harmful effects of pesticides insecticides..organic farming is a great idea..its going to help rural people a lot on financial grounds…great work …Best of luck for the proposal

Sir.
This project is really gonna help the people of this place…
We have been hearing about organic tea. Organic eggs in foreign countries.
And this project, in our own state will be a great step.
I wish u all the very best sir…

From mangoes in Maharashtra to wheat in Haryana and apples in Kashmir , climate change has adversely affected agriculture produce across India. In the backdrop of less rainfall and resultant farmers’ suicides , experts are urging farmers to adopt newer technologies and think out-of-the-box. Really a great step Sir.

Thank You, Mr. A. V Singh, for comments and importance of this proposal in R S Pura belt as this region has a huge potential for adapting the measures required for organic farming. You are absolutely right sir in your comment about the potential of farming and capacity of farmers in adopting and adapting to new technologies as per the demand need of society and changing world

Thanks, Gundeep Singh for your comments and importance of this project in reducing the cost of milk production by reducing the farmers expenses on antibiotics and other medicines. though this is not an easy task…. so training and workshops will be arranged to motivate the farmers to go for organic dairying as in the early phase of conversion, there may be a considerable decrease in milk production due to several factors.

I am a permanent resident of U.S.A. Here in our country people are searching for alternate medicine as the antibiotics are posing a great threat to the nationals here. The varied form of herbs in India can be made useful to the human population as well as animals. Dr. Pranav and my younger brother is doing very good work in such a direction. All the best guys for your initiative. May god bless you.

Thank You, Mr. Davinder Singh, for commenting on project proposal and focussing on the importance of indigenous herbs as an alternative to antibiotics which is posing a great threat to humans worldwide. In India, we are endowed with varied forms of herbs which can act as a panacea of this antibiotic syndrome.

the livestock wealth is of utmost important to the people who are related to livestock farming as their economy totally depends on their livestock. so to decrease the farming cost and to increase the profitability will certainly help the people to enhance their farm capacity. this project will surely be working in the said direction.

Thanks, Megha and Hansmeet for commenting on the blog proposal and have found that project has the potential to decrease the cost of production, which will increase farmers income and profit margin in their dairy operation.

the main focus should be laid on the capacity building of the people as the people do have local herbs but most of them may not be knowing the use of such herbs. on the whole this project is incredible. may god bless you with success.

Seems nice proposal having the potential to change the the livestock management with special reference to the state of Jammu & Kashmir… Request my colleagues to support the endeavor of Dr. Pranav in larger way.

Dear Dr Pranav, you have selected an appropriate topic for the research which is very much essential in developing countries like India where the foods of plant and animal origin were loaded with harmful chemical fertilisers, pesticides etc which were used to increase the productivity in food crops. As we use food crop byproducts as animal feed which inturn produces the milk, meat, eggs containing these chemical residues.
Therefore, your work on organic dairy farming definitely useful to humans as the milk will be devoid of chemicals.
All the success to you

I have read the proposal (YAP Proposal #165) on indigenous herbs and organic farming submitted by Dr Pranav, it seems to be innovative ideas for upliftment of socioeconomic level of local populace using organic farming and taking health benefits of indigenous herbs. If sanctioned, he will definitely come up with new technology and mode that will be beneficial to society. Hence, I recommend grant of this proposal.

Organic farming is becoming increasingly important these days owing to the larger proportions of insecticide and pesticide residues in food crops and antibiotic residues in milk.The younger generation bears the brunt of this whole scenario.
Its a very good project sir and requires proper funding.
Best of luck sir

its a great initiative sir that will go long way in improvement of our livestock health status, minimisation of antibiotics use as well as improvement of human health. I support your work. All the best Sir…..

This project is very useful for our human society and also good for our environment. Our society needs pesticide free vegetables and fruits. So organic farming is valuable for humans and animals as they keep our healths free from diseases caused by pesticides.

It is very much needed to identify and implement sustainable solutions at farm level. Retaining farming community with lesser input costs is paramount as it provides gainful employment, food security. The viable options of utilizing low cost locally available technologies have to be identified and improvised. Your proposal and expertise in this area can ensure it happen.

Further, tapping marketing/diffusion potential can be an initiative as world is looking for solutions that are organic, less application of pesticide. It is an deserving research program as it provides necessary interface between science and society.

The load of pesticides and antibiotics is very high in our food in india because of its indescrimate use. acording to reports it is the root cause of various metabolic and systemic disorders in humans. so I think dr.pranav’s idea will have positive implications in future.
Regards
Haq

Dear Dr. Pranab
Very good proposal. Since we are facing the problem of multidrug resistant among the various microbes. Your proposal is foot forward in mitigating the problem of multidrug resistance.
I like the proposal very much.
Ashraf Malik

Dear Dr Prannav
This project is very good. But no doubt it is still too tough also. But I hope that you will invest your whole potential to help the farmers to increase the organic material well prooved. I wish you to be successfull with best wishes.

Its really great work. there are so many things we can learn by making our selves close to nature. specially in the state of jammu & kashmir you can find such herbs and plants that have miraculous effect on various diseases of both humans as well as animals.All the best sir

Sir, you have planned good research for society. Such kind of work is really needed for healthy generations. …..it may be one step towards green livestock production for nutritional security …….go ahead sir…..With regards, kaushalendra

Agriculture and livestock have been interdependent in rural economy of India from time immemorial. In between comes the role of herbs that we have forgotten with the use of chemical pesticides, medicines etc. in last 100 years or so. No doubt, these discoveries have helped to control many plant and livestock diseases. But these successes have also led to a grave situation where many non-degradable harmful chemicals have entered our food chain leading to many neurological and genetic disorders, defective child births, mentally retarded children etc. It has also lead to decrease in fresh water for human consumption.

Here, the present YAP proposal #165: “Back to basics: Indigenous herbs and organic farming” by Pranav Kumar is a noble one and need of the hour to rediscover our forgotten past expertise developed over thousands of years. Use of herbs in plant and livestock treatment will not only lead to healthy future but better Earth to live on. I wish, all the best for the success of this project.

Sustainable development through new initiatives like organic farming is a very promising idea floated by Dr Pranav Kumar..I hope that outcomes of this project will certainly be an eye opener…All the very best sir!!

conventional farming practices have certainly ghettoised the destitute farmers to a large extent.Organic farming can revive these practices as the farmers can have factor payments(remunerations) to the fullest.
So,”the best way or the Highway”.
Good luck,Sir!

Really it is a good and demanding also. The village are the rich sources of herb and if identify and facilitate and motivate the farmer to use these herb not only for animal also for human being. Now to full fill the demand of pure and without adulteration food items, only to produce organic and only possible to use the indigenous resources. This ideas of project is a innovative and if it successes means great achievements for the societies.

the man is living in association with animals since ages and the relation had developed to such an extent that man had started exploiting animals for his own interest. this proposal is in positive direction to reduce that gap.

the ideal conditions for organic farming and sticking to the guidelines laid by different is a very challenging task. so this idea is very challenging but I know D. Pranav is very hardworking person, he will surely bring positive results.

Indigenous herbs in organic farming sounds like a very interesting and worthwhile project, not just for the proposed region, but the dairy farming in general. Working on a project coming from a similar way of thinking and an eye for a sustainable future, I support this idea, and all the similar ones that might come. Good luck dr. Pranav Kumar!

regards sir, i find this proposal a very great initiative for decreasing the loads of antibiotics which the animals are secreting in our food, so this project will be very helpful for producing antibiotic free food.

in such a fast era of development, what we crave for is benefit. benefit at any cost. we don’t care for anyone. not even that mute animal which is giving us milk, meat, wool and many other essentials for our survival. all the things which we take from animals are for their own use, not for ours! and in return what are we giving them, a load of slow poison in the form of antibiotics which serves as poison for us too in the longer run. so the need of the hour is to decrease the load of antibiotics and make use of alternative resources which we are having in the form of herbs. using these resources is ethical and also good for animals, humans and environment. so these projects should be supported for overall development of our ecosystem.

It’s a great initiative. My association with Dr Pranav has been since my days as Mission Director UMEED ( NRLM) J&K. We had done training of Women Community ParaVets Named”Pashu Sakhis” in Veterinary College RS Pura where he is Asstt Proffessor. The members of SHGs to trained as Pashu Sakhi’s were taught about usefulness of Indigenous herbs in Livestock Production and Management and perpetual use of Organic herbs. Wish Dr Pranav success in his endeavour.

It was a memorable association with your good self as Mission Director of UMEED. Still, we are providing training to SHG members (Pashu Sakhi) of UMEED in all aspects including the indigenous herbs and other indigenous technical knowledge for sustainable development of livestock production. Thanks again for appreciating the proposal.

Very good idea. Need of hour as pesticides and antibiotic residues are high in food. I support the research endeavor of Pranav which may go a long way to implement the concept of organic farming. Regards–Pravin kumar

Pesticides are a real concern. Increasing the farm income along with minimal/no use of pesticides is a real challange. In the present scenario, the proposal looks wonderful. I hope and pray, it succeeds, for it affect us and our children. Best of luck, Mr Pranav.

our future depends on present and if today we’ll stress more on organic farming then Iam sure that we’ll be having positive impact on our future…We will have a healthy genX to lead our society and world…GR8 initiative needs lot of support and good wishes…Dr, Pranav u r doing a fabulous job…keep it up and thanx for being so kind to us…All the very best.

Need of hour. I like this project. But concern here is production. Adopting the organic farming is good for everyone but farmers are concerned with net return from adopted practices. Do you think it will boost the production protential of our agricultural and livestock sector? As india is not self sufficient in food at this stage as for as it’s population is concerned. secondly who is going to adopt organic farming practice as most of the farmers are marginal or small do you think they are going to compromise quantity for quality?

Congrats Sr ji…
Good idea for chemical residue free animal products for better health of humans.
Also for increasing world market share/value of animal products produced in India.
Great proposal sir…
All the best. Best of luck…….

Congrates sr ji….
Its an excellent proposal. It’s really important to help our farmers to learn the actual certified way to become organic especially organic livestock farming. Your proposal may pave a path for many of the aspiring farmers n motivate them for conversion to organic. Further I feel these type of projects can help us save our indigenous technical knowledge which is on the path of vanishing.
Wish I good luck. All the best Sr ji….

Thanks Dr. Ishtiyak Ahmad Mir for appreciating the project as well as raising very pertinent question whether the farmer will adopt the methods of organic production or not as there is a rumour spread by many multinational companies engaged in production of lots of pesticides, herbicides as well as pharmaceutical companies manufacturing antibiotics and hormones that by organic means production will go down very drastically and country like India can not afford this where feeding of huge population is first priority than producing safe and hygienic food. This concept is unfounded as by organic means our soil will get recharged for more production food crops though there may be a slight decrease in production during conversion period which is generally 3-5 year duration, but this minimal loss can be compensated in long run and sustainable development of the country can not be mortgaged for few reasons.

Innovation z need of d hour n I congratulate Dr. Pranav for dis unique n much desired idea as far as organic farming n present scenario z concerned.I wish u all d very best n assure that once given an opportunity this man can work wonders. Support u for this concept n pray that u prosper n bring smiles to the poor marginal farmers.Good luck# do well# sky z d limit….All d very best.
Regards.

we should work hard to achieve something tangible in proposed area. The benefits of our current farming practices has boomeranged on us. We need to work for reversal of its ill effects . For that best option is back to basic. your idea is need of hour.

Thank Ved Prakash for your comment as the benefits of our current farming practices has boomeranged on us as a curse in the form of many problems and many other lifestyle disesases
The solution for this situation is definitely, we have to go back to basics i,e organic farming i.,e what our forefathers were doing but with modern approaches so that something tangible can be done for our farming communities.

Organic farming is the need of the day.The way industrialization has grown and the chemical fertilizers been used the day is not far when we would be consuming fertilizers indirectly and which would be catastrophic.

Nice idea but will require years of work and investments both by researcher and agriprenures before the first fruits of the endeavor are borne. As R.S Pura is known for ruthless intensive farming so Organic conversion period will be more because both previous land use as well as ecological situation of the area weighs against a shorter conversion period.
Availability of local herbs free from any pesticide or other chemical residue as envisioned by researcher is difficult because of rice mono culture in the area and high population density.
Herb cultivation if opted will face from bottle necks like unfavorable climatic conditions and unavailability of virgin land.
Like wise production loses associated with organic dairy farming as well as availability of sufficient organic fodder needs to be taken care off.

Good work pranav!
this is an issue of utmost importance in our health perspective!
atleast we get rid of chemical residues.
but my doubt is how can we control the adultration business!?
these days everything is being adultrated!
even if farmers take up organic farming,
by the time the produce reaches market/consumer/us it gets adultrated!!
something very serious has to be done!

Dr pranav, yourinnovative project proposal
idea is great.I too agree with your excellent
Proposal. It needed to livelihood of farmers
in current scenario of India.it is very difficult for emplimentions at grass route
level but a hope that you will be successed
your mission, I am always ready to support
You.

The rampant and indiscriminate usage of antibiotics in indian dairy is very obvious; your project will not only help in giving alternate to antibiotics to prevent ill effect in milk & milk products but also ensure farmers an alternate livelihood source. Any good initiative has to scalable, viable and sustainable and being a passionate professor I am sure you will well surpass all three challenge . Kashmir being heaven on earth is right place to have this project. My heartily wishes for success of these project. All the very best !!
Dr Ganga s. Shekhawat

This is an excellent proposal. It touches the very heart of India and proposes to work at the microcosm of India namely the village. In addition it wishes to work in the area of organic farming and usage of naturally occurring herbs to substitute for antibiotics.
We know how prevalent the usage of antibiotics is on us humans from the doctors that we see in our every day lives. The prevalence scares anyone who has seen the extent of precautions / and staying away from the antibiotics the doctors of the developed countries do to undertake any cure. Antibiotics is the last resort. Unfortunately in India antibiotics is the first resort, precisely because it is a wonder drug of the last century.
We really need to go back to the basics, precisely the call that is the need of the hour and also what we Indians can give to the world at large. What with the numerous bounty of traditional medicine and it’s ways based in natural cure with the herbs.
We have here a young man willing to devote his time, energy and effort to build a microcosm at the village level which is duplicable.
He needs our support and blessings to be able to carry on this noble work.
May GOD BLESS HIM. May the noble cause see the light of day.

Thank You, Mr Rajesh Singh, for going through my blog proposal very passionately and commented in a very fact-finding manner which shows the importance of this project proposal. Your observation that in developed countries use of Antibiotics is the last resort for treatment but unfortunately in India and other developing countries antibiotics is the first resort, precisely because it is a wonder drug of the last century shows the rampant and indiscriminate use of antibiotics as it is available in the market without any prescription. In order to reduce this antibiotic use in animal treatment to some extent, the proposed project aims at developing a model village where dairy farmers will be trained through numerous training and workshops related to organic animal husbandry standards, protocols, certification agencies etc to make them ready to convert from convention dairy farming to organic farming using indigenous herbs for treatment of livestock ailments and having modern approach of marketing its premium product at remunerative prices.

The rampant and indiscriminate uses of antibiotics in Indian dairy sector is very obvious. This project will not only help farmers to generate alternate livelihood but also helps in producing antibiotic free healthy milk and milk products. Any project to become successful has to go through challenges of scalability, viability and sustainability. You being a passionate professor will be overcoming all three challenges for this project. Kashmir being heaven on the earth is the right place for this project. My hearty Best wishes for success of this project. All the very best.
Dr Ganga s Shekhawat

Along with what you propose, one thing is more required, i.e. to change the mindset of dairy farmer who wants milk from a sick animal very next day, not minding the antibiotics.
For production proper care at heifer stage is required, not firefighting with hormones when she doesn’t produces even at age of 4-5 yr and becomes burden.
With proper management when our breeds can do wonders in italy, then y not here.

Breeding
Feeding
Management
3 pillars but no one listens.
Short term vs long term profit,this thinking needs to be developed

Thank You, Dr. Om Ahuja, for commenting on the proposal and the need for changing the mindset of dairy farmer who wants milk from a sick animal very next day, not minding the how much
antibiotics have been injected to make a sick animal into deemed to be a healthy animal. Yes, dear, this project aims at not only for capacity building through training and workshops but also for following sustainable method of production for longer period but not for short gains using short cut methods.

Kudos to u brother fr such a mind boggling concept hope this will bring revolution in the area of herbal remedies and food from animal sources will be free from residual effect of drugs. Just a suggestion keep breeding, feeding n management important point for future healthy stock and food too.

Documenting ITK and bringing it at the disposal of farmers. Sounds to be a very intersting project sir. All the best with your endeavor. I support your proposal and look forward for its success. All the best Dr. Pranav

Very informative blog sr..for sustainable development of our agriculture;organic farming and indigenous herbs will go a long way to address the issue of chemical adulterants in agri products..its the need of an hour..!!

Its an entirely different and unique concept that must be there for the betterment of village . . . . Its good to see that u are working on it grt luck sir al d best may u succed and standout with the best proposal. . . . . .

Its an excellent proposal. It’s really important to help our farmers to learn the actual certified way to become organic especially organic livestock farming. Your proposal may pave a path for many of the aspiring farmers n motivate them for conversion to organic. Further I feel these type of projects can help us save our indigenous technical knowledge which is on the path of vanishing.
Wish I good luck.

Thank You, Dr. Rupasi madam for appreciating the project proposal and your comments regarding the importance of this project in creating awareness among farmers about the actual certified way to becoming organic especially organic livestock farming. Your observation that it may pave a path for many of the aspiring farmers and motivate them for conversion from conventional to organic is very true as the main motive of this project is to create awareness among the dairy farmers about the concept of organic dairy husbandry and its entrepreneurial benefits

Organic farming is the need of the hour and it’s is most emphasized project of Mr Radha Mohan singh and i hope healthy support will be provided from the ministry. Good initiative sir and best of luck for future endeavour.

The need for safe food for domestic consumption as well as export market is increasing with the growing global awareness of unhealthy fall out of synthetic inputs of agriculture.The over dependence on modern veterinary drugs to treat animals is not only costly affair but have side effects also. Moreover, in remote and far flung areas, non-availability of the technical personnels and drugs is also an issue. In such circumstances, the alternative through locally available herbs to the drugs having dangerous side effects as proposed by the the author is need of the hour as it is economically viable and ecologically sustainable. The farmers indigenous knowledge in animal sector is immense but little documented and there is danger of extinction of this knowledge. The Indigenous Practices were perceived better than modern veterinary drug in respect of their availability, lesser side effects, and lower cost. These indigenous practices may be recommended and disseminated among the farmers where modern veterinary drug is not easily accessible. Moreover these can be blended with modern veterinary drug through laboratory experimentation and scientific rationality. The documentation of ITKs will form a pool of all ITK practices and show the richness of the time-tested traditional knowledge available in the region. Thus, I hope that the funding agency will accept this proposal for the benefit of animal husbandry sector in India in general and Jammu and Kashmir in particular

Animal Husbandry and farming are the faces of the same coin; we can’t eliminate husbandry from farming and with the fine tuning of this two expertise, able to have a safe and healthy outcome. The main purpose of husbandry is to manage the animal health and to maintain the productivity of the livestock. As we know the gut microbes cover our 10% of the bodyweight and now the recent research enlights that some physiological problems are because of altered gut microbial populations. In recent research, it has been well established that incidence of the autoimmune diseases are increasing, and one of the reason is our processed food habit. Keeping these views in mind, I want to support the proposal of Dr. Pranav strongly to improve the life of animals and ultimately to humans.

Thanks, Shahnawaz Imam for going through my proposal and very scientifically with facts and figures supported the need for the proposal to be implemented. Yes, friend, many of our physiological problems are due to change in gut microbial population and it is mainly because of change in our food habit as well as the change in the composition of nutrients in our food. Keeping all these in mind, organic production of the food item is the only way in the current situation.

Hi Pranav, Your proposal is indeed the way to go for future. It is about time we reduce the use of chemicals in Agriculture. The blind use of chemicals in last 100 years or so, to increase Agro output, has put future generations at risk. India with rich diversity in Flora and fauna and traditional agricultural practices can surely contribute a lot in reverting back to natural /organic farming.

Thanks Manish for commenting on my project proposal and you have rightly mentioned that the blind use of chemicals in last 100 years or so, to increase Agro output, has put future generations at risk is very true. To prevent further degradation of soil, plant, animal health and, more importantly, human health, we have to go back to basics with modern approach by utilizing our rich diversity in Flora and fauna and traditional agricultural practices

Excellent proposal sir …organic farming is the need of the hour. Its high time we understand the ill effects of these harmful pollutants on mother nature and take such initiatives like these to protect her.

Excellent proposal sir …organic farming is the need of the hour. Its high time we understand the ill effects of these harmful pollutants on mother nature and take initiatives like these to protect her.

I appreciate the challenge you have taken up.. in my view its high time for establishing practices and taking up organic farming, otherwise we Indians have to live in fear of every day eating chemical residues in food. I wish you good luck👍👍👍 Pranav.

A persona with extra mettle within only can think n work on projects which r almost unattended nowadays. I m sure this is service not only to we Indians but to this blue planet also. Great Pranav , we r certainly proud of u….

Pranav, certainly u have chosen a field which is almost forgotten these days. Mass is busy with own interests n goals. I m sure your work will do a great service to this blue planet. Proud to be associated with you.